Kawhi Leonard‘s relationship with the San Antonio Spurs has reportedly soured this season and teams are preparing to approach the Spurs this offseason about a trade for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, according to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst.

Leonard has only played in nine games this season due to right quadriceps tendinopathy and has left the team twice to rehab on his own in New York.

Spurs veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili led a players-only meeting two weeks ago in which players asked Leonard whether he planned to return this season.

Leonard was reportedly caught off guard by the meeting.

“I have already talked to several NBA general managers,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. “At the end of this season, teams will call the Spurs and inquire about the availability of Leonard.”

ESPN insider Zach Lowe confirmed Windhorst’s report by adding his own two cents:

Not that Windy needs any confirmation, ever, but this is 100% true. Vultures are circling, in hopes of action around the draft. https://t.co/Osp4WLofgv

Optimism has waned that Leonard will play again this year within San Antonio. The Spurs can still offer Leonard the Designated Veteran Player Extension this summer that would pay the All-Star forward over $200 million.

To acquire Leonard, rival teams will surely have to offer multiple high drafts picks and a ready-now player.

1 Commenton "Teams to pursue Leonard via trade this summer"

Kawhi is so inscrutable that it’s almost impossible to know what he is thinking. The man shows zero emotional expression at all times. He makes Tim Duncan look like Jim Carrey. So know one outside of his closest people really knows where he is at… BUT, the whole scenario is suspicious. Usually players are dying to get back on court. Here, however, Kawhi looks like he is stalling his return in order to rest for a full season.

It’s hard to believe he is not happy in San Antonio, since the Spurs are universally hailed as the paragon of sports organizations. But sometimes things run their course, the writing is on the wall, and things need to get really ugly and uncomfortable to force a change.

I’m guessing that Kawhi is the passive agressive type. He will stay silent and avoid people in order to create drama indirectly. Hence, the headlines we are getting.

As for where he ends up… can’t see him forcing his way out of SA. Plus, if his leg is that bad, no one should invest big money in him. This is like IT in a way: he looks washed up after his meteoric rise to fame.